realistic illusions
by simplysteffv
Summary: AU. Chloe-centric. Someone is messing with Chloe's state of mind, will she be able to differ the illusion from reality or will she give into it? Chlollie implied. ON HIATUS
1. Prologue

**A/N: **This is my first multi-chapter fic. I got the idea from watching a Doctor Who episode. It's going to be a Chloe-centric fic. I know it's not original since the plot has been done before but it got me thinking what if Chloe had two different lives to choose from? Which would she choose?

That led me to start this fic. Pretty much Chloe will be going between two realities and she has decide which life is really hers. *grins evily* you think you know which one she will choose but trust me not even I know which one I will have her choose.

Which leads me to say that it's still a work in progress so idk how long it will be or if I will be posting chapters back to back. Sorry loves.

_**Disclaimer: **_**I don't own anything. Not the characters. Not the plot. zilch. zip. nada. They all belong to their respective owners. (Not me)**

* * *

Prologue

She was confused.

Nothing was making sense and she felt like she was losing her mind. Everything yet nothing felt familiar to her. It's as if it were real and at the same time it wasn't. She would wake up thinking she just had the weirdest dream only to feel like she has entered another one. She had no clue about what was happening to her, it was driving her insane.

In one dream she was Watchtower, ears and eyes to a group of superheroes. In the other she was just a regular girl trying to balance a new city and a new job. Two very different lives and she was living both. How on earth do you tell the illusion from the reality?

Or worse, what if neither was real? What if her biggest fear has come to pass and she has turned into her mother. She finally snapped and earned her one-way ticket to the looney bin. She's probably locked in a white room and is wearing a restraining jacket. Fucking great, it was just another issue to add to her already growing paranoia.

Who was she really? Chloe Sullivan-journalist or Chloe Sullivan-Watchtower?

This is so fucked up. She was losing her grasp on reality and it was getting harder to tell which was which. Something told her that she needed to figure it out and fast before it became too late.

God only knows why this was happening to her.

* * *

_Should it be continued?_

_Xx_


	2. Chapter 1

_**A/N:**_ Here's the first chapter. Thank you to those of you who reviewed and encourged me to continue. Hope you like it. :)

_**Disclaimer: **_**I don't own anything. Not the characters. Not the plot. zilch. zip. nada. They all belong to their respective owners. (Not me)**

* * *

**Chapter One**

This was it, finally.

It felt so good being back in Metropolis. She used to live in the city before her father decided to move them to a smaller town. She grew up in Lawrence, Kansas where her father had gotten a job as a mechanic. It's been just the two of them since she was little. Her mother suffers from mental health problems and is considered a danger to herself and those around her, so her father had her admitted.

Her father said that moving to Lawrence would be good for them, a new start. She went to school, made friends, it wasn't that bad once she got used to it. As she got older she realized journalism was her calling. In High School she was in charge of the newsletter, she was extremely passionate about uncovering the truth so when she graduated she went to community college in town, it didn't feel right leaving behind her father and so instead she stayed in town and got a job at the local paper. It wasn't her dream job, but it was close enough.

One day her father told her it was time for her to leave. She was 23, working at a paper she didn't like, covering mediocre headlines. She was born for so much more and needed to set her sights higher. He handed her a newspaper clipping from the Daily Planet that advertised a new job position. He told her this was her chance and not to worry about him, that he was old enough to fend for himself.

That is how she found herself in front of the Daily Planet. She felt like it was Christmas all over again.

She took a deep breath, adjusted her clothes and started walking towards the entrance.

_Whoa, I'm definitely not in Kansas anymore, um, Lawrence, Kansas that is. Now this is what a successful Newspaper bull-pen should look like._

She was standing in the middle of the bull-pen looking around; it was all hustle and bustle unlike her previous job.

She spotted an empty desk with her name plate on it and as she made her way towards it someone bumped into her. She lost the grip she had on the box she was carrying but, luckily the person who had bumped into her had really fast reflexes and was able to catch it before it hit the ground.

"I'm so sorry. I wasn't paying attention." He apologized to her as he held the box and looked down at her.

She regained her balance and readjusted herself once again. As she looked up to speak to him she was able to get a good look at the man that had bumped into her and wow was he something to look at. Tall, short spiky brown hair, handsome, light-brown eyes that were covered by black rimmed glasses, physically fit, yeah he was gorgeous. She stuttered a bit before making out a sentence. "I-It's ok. No foul, no harm. Here let me take that." She smiled at him as she reached for the box.

He gave her a wide smile and said, "It's ok, the least I can do is help you carry it. You must be the new reporter. I'm Stanley Rogers and welcome to the Daily Planet."

As they walked to her desk they had indulged into a conversation.

"Thanks, I'm Chloe Sullivan and yeah, I guess I am the new reporter. Rogers, as in Rogers Auto Parts Production, Rogers?"

He chuckled and blushed as he spoke to her. "Yeah, my dad owns the place."

"Oh, that's great. My father is a mechanic so I grew up knowing about cars and what companies are the best to get car parts from."

He smiled as he put the box down on her desk then said, "Thanks, I'll make sure to let him know he's doing a great job. Look, I –uh have to get going. I'm sorry about bumping into you. It was nice meeting you and I guess I'll see you around."

She smiled at him and said, "Yeah, I understand. It was nice meeting you too, Stanley." He left her at her desk and she started to unpack her things.

Once she finished she headed to the editor-in-chief, Lexa Mercer's office. That lady had some serious issues; she appeared to be ruthless, cold, but very determined, you have to admire the last bit, though.

Mercer had paired her up with another reporter for this first week just so she could get the hang of how things work around the Planet, after that she was on her own.

After she left Mercer's office she walked back to her desk, she needed to find her _partner_. As she approached closer, she noticed a tall brunette trying to subtly peek into the files that were on her desk.

She stopped behind the brunette and said, "Can I help you?"

The woman turned around fast and gave Chloe a sheepish smile. "I – uh was looking for the new reporter, Mercer said I'd have to work with her this week."

Chloe raised her eyebrows at her before answering.

"I know I'm small but I don't think I'd fit into those." She motioned to the files the woman have been caught going through a few minutes ago.

The brunette was taller, had blue- eyes, and her hair was shoulder-length short, in other words she was pretty. She gave Chloe a grin and said. "I like you. I'm Sandy Saunders, you must be Sullivan."

She extended her hand for Chloe to take, which she shook.

Chloe grinned back and said, "Call me Chloe."

"Ok then, Chloe."

* * *

"Chloe? Chloe!"

She blinked a few times and snapped out the haze she was in. She looked at Lois who was standing in front of her with a worried expression on her face. She saw Lois's mouth moving but couldn't hear what she was saying. She shook her head trying to clear her mind before speaking.

"I'm sorry what did you say?"

"Chloe are you ok?"

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine. I just doze off for a while there." She gave Lois a reassuring smile; she really hated lying to her. Technically she was fine; except for that nagging feeling she had in the back of her mind that made her feel like she was forgetting something. She was feeling disoriented for some reason, like she had just woken up.

"Are you 100 percent sure?"

"Lois, I said I'm fine."

Lois eyed her questioningly and dropped it. She knew better than to keep bugging Chloe, if there was one thing that ran in their blood, it was stubbornness. They would have been at it for hours if she hadn't.

"Ok then, so what brings you to the Planet? Oh God, is something wrong? Who do I have to kill? I swear if that insignificant, pompous billionaire did something to hurt you, I will bury him alive! I wi-"

Chloe cut her off. "Whoa, slow down there chipper. There's nothing wrong and Oliver didn't do anything. Everything's ok. What, can't your favorite cousin visit you at work?"

Lois rolled her eyes while Chloe just grinned at her. "You're my only cousin."

"It doesn't make the fact that I'm your favorite any less true."

"It appears that Ollie's ego is contagious after all." Lois smirked at Chloe while she rolled her eyes.

"Shut up! You really should be nicer to the person who comes offering a free lunch."

"Have I ever told you that you're my favorite cousin?" Lois smiled sheepishly at her.

Chloe smirked and threw her words back at her. "I'm your only cousin remember?"

"Doesn't make it any less true."

Both women stood there for a while just looking at each other before bursting out laughing. They moved closer to hug each other; it had been weeks since they had last seen each other. Chloe had found an apartment in the city while Lois was still migrating back and forth from Smallville, so they hardly saw each other but managed to talk on the phone or text each other every other day.

"God, how I missed you Chlo."

"I missed you too, Lo."

They pulled apart and Chloe glanced behind her and asked. "Where's Clark?"

"Oh you know him, always disappearing when anything interesting happens. His loss. Anyways, enough about Smallville. How are things going between you and the jolly green giant? I want details." Lois waggled her eyebrows at Chloe.

"Lois, shh!" Chloe looked around nervously.

"What? It's not like any of these people know what I'm talking about. Pfft. For all we know, they might think you're dating some circus guy. Relax."

"Nice one, Lois."

"Well, it's true. You know what? How about we talk about this over that free lunch you mentioned earlier." Lois beamed at Chloe.

Chloe made a face as is she was contemplating whether to go or not.

"Oh come on! You said you were gonna buy lunch." Lois pouted dramatically at Chloe. "Please!"

"Only because you asked nicely." They both giggled and headed towards the exit.

As soon as they reached the door, Chloe got that nagging feeling in the back of her mind again. Why did she feel like something odd was about to happen?

* * *

_What did you think? Continue?_

_Xx_


	3. Chapter 2

_**A/N:**_ Here's the second chapter. Thank you to those of you who reviewed, I appreciate it. Also, I've become fully committed to this story, so I will see it through to the end. Hope you like it. :)

_**Disclaimer: **_**I don't own anything. Not the characters. Not the plot. zilch. zip. nada. They all belong to their respective owners. (Not me)**

* * *

**Chapter 2**

As soon as they stepped out of the building Chloe stopped, she was feeling really weird and confused. Something was wrong; her head was a jumbled mess trying to sort out something, but what?

Sandy noticed Chloe stop and asked her, "Are you ok?"

No. "Yeah, I'm fine, just a little out of it I guess. Maybe it's a late reaction to the move." She chuckled nervously.

She glanced back at the door, furrowed her eyebrows together and stared at it as if where going to tell her why she was feeling like this. She turned back to Sandy and continued, "We should go get that coffee you mentioned earlier." She gave her a reassuring smile before heading off towards their destination.

As they walked the two indulged into a conversation. The troublesome feeling was still lurking but she pushed it away, she would deal with that later.

"Where did you move from?"

"I grew up in Lawrence, although I'm from Metropolis originally. We moved when I was younger and it felt like it was time to move back plus my dad encouraged me, his not so-subtle way of telling me to get the hell out of town and leave him be."

Sandy laughed at this. "Parents. You'd think they'd want you to stay with them forever."

Chloe laughed too and asked, "So, are you from Metropolis too, or did you move here?"

"I moved here, well actually to Smallville. I live there but work here."

_Smallville, why did that place sound so familiar?_ She directed her attention to her companion once again.

"I'm an army brat, so I was always on the move. One day, my cousin Ann, who is more of a sister than my actual sister asked me to move with her, she's from Smallville. I was young so I was like what the hell and I've lived there ever since."

They reached the coffee vendor and Chloe ordered an Almond Mocha while Sandy got a Pumpkin Spice. They were walking while Sandy told her about the Planet and every dirty detail about Mercer. For some reason Sandy reminder her of someone, someone whom she feels she has known her whole life. _Who though?_

She could feel the irking feeling in her mind telling her that she needed to remember, but what? She was forgetting something and it was important. _What the hell is happening to me? Maybe it is the stress of the move. Yeah, I'm just overwhelmed, it's just that. _

She once again focused on what the other woman was saying. "I suggest you be very careful around her, she can be very dangerous. There's a reason why Luther Kress chose her to precede him. You do know who he is right?"

"Yeah, I do. I might have lived in the middle of nowhere but it wasn't under a rock." She grinned and then continued. "We covered a few pieces about him and such. He always rubbed me the wrong way and I never even met the man."

Sandy grinned back at Chloe and said, "I think this might be the beginning of a beautiful friendship. Good thing you didn't. Unfortunately, I shared a few words with him and they were unpleasant to say the least. Enough, about the devil." Chloe chuckled at the last bit. "I am going to turn you into one of the most valuable reporters in the Planet. I read bits and pieces of the article you submitted and you're good, really good actually."

"Ahh, is that why you were snooping in my files?"

Sandy just shrugged her shoulders and said, "Hey, you can't blame a person for wanting to know about someone they will be spending time with 24/7."

They were heading back to the DP when Sandy spotted Stanley. "Hey, look there's Stan! I'll introduce you two, come one." She took a hold of Chloe's arm and pulled her along before she got a chance to answer. "Stan! Hey Stan!"

He stopped and turned to face both approaching women.

"Stanley, this is Chloe Sullivan, the new reporter. Chloe this is Stanley Rogers."

"Nice to see you again, Chloe." He offered her a smile.

She smiled back and said, "Nice to see you too."

"Wait, you two already met?" She looked at Stanley then at Chloe until realization dawned on her and she burst out laughing. Chloe looked at her confused.

Sandy managed to compose herself long enough to speak. "She's the one you almost killed with the Rogers-clumsy-express-train isn't she? Way to make a great first impression."

Stan looked down and blushed. Chloe giggled and then looked between both of them. They reminded her of people she felt she knew in another lifetime and offered her a sense of familiarity as well. It was the strangest thing. Her brain was working double-time trying to figure out why she had that sudden sensation.

She decided to shake it off, she was way too confused and didn't really feel like dwelling on it anymore. She focused back on the conversation in front of her.

"Where were you off to in such a hurry this morning?"

"Oh, I –uh, had to visit my father. The company is hosting a charity event and he was reminding me and telling me that the Planet is on the list of invited press."

"Really? That's great! You think Mercer might let us cover it?"

"I don't know. We'll just have to wait and see."

Sandy nodded, started walking then stopped and looked back at Chloe who was still standing there.

"Are you coming?"

"Huh? Oh! Yeah, totally let's go."

Chloe walked fast enough to catch up and walk beside her, leaving Stanley to walk behind them. Soon after, a tingly sensation started crawling in the back of her mind…

* * *

…as they entered the Planet, both woman were laughing.

Chloe suddenly stopped, _something isn't right._

She looked behind her and she could've sworn someone had been with them and was walking in behind them.

_You're seeing things that aren't there. _She shook off the thought then glanced at Lois who was still cracking up, during lunch they had spent time catching up on all the things they had done since the last time they saw each other. Then, throughout the walk back they had started joking around and teasing each other about their certain someone's.

A brief vision swam before her eyes. It was of her, a tall brunette and a guy talking on the sidewalk in front of the DP. She was sure she had never met them before and yet there she was talking to them as if they'd been friends. But, as soon as it came it was gone. _What the hell was that?_

She chose to forget about it. _I'm just tired. Yeah definitely, simply sleep-deprived._ She tried to mask her uneasiness so that she wouldn't worry Lois like she had done earlier and honestly a worried Lois is not someone you want to have hovering around her.

Too late, Lois noticed the discomfort and was about to ask her something before her phone rang.

_Oh, thank God! _

Lois answered and by the smile on her face she knew who was on the other end. _Clark._ She ended the call and then turned to Chloe. "It was Clark." _Duh. _"He told me he found new evidence that might help me with the story I'm working on. I'm sorry to have to run off on you Chlo, but this could be huge!"

"No worries. Go. I have to get back anyway."

They walked out to the street again; they shared their good-byes and promises of hanging out soon. Lastly they shared a hug and then parted ways.

It was getting late and Chloe was heading towards Watchtower. It was time to check-in with the team and find out their status.

As soon as she got there she went through the security system. She finally reached the top and she heard _her _welcome her as she walked towards the computers.

"_Welcome Chloe, Watchtower is online."_

She ordered out loud. "Activate computers. Open com links of Impulse, Canary, Aquaman, and Cyborg,"

"_Com links open."_

Then she heard her team respond.

"_Canary online."_

"_Aquaman ready."_

"_Cyborg online."_

"_Hola Bonita. Impulse ready to go."_

The side of her mouth twitched a bit at Impulse's response. _Bart, ever the flirt._

She started typing and pulling up blue prints of the building they were about to infiltrate. "Ok team, you know what to do. Cyborg I've just sent you the necessary codes to override their systems. As soon as he's done, Impulse I want you to make a perimeter check on the underground halls and make sure Aquaman's entrance route is accessible. Canary you know what do."

"_Understood, switching to silent mode. Stand by."_

Chloe watched through her monitors as the team did their job. She truly admired them; they were risking their lives for a better future and didn't take credit. Her heart swelled with happiness and pride; never in a million years would she give up this life. She finally found her place and nothing will make her leave.

Moments later she heard over her com.

"_Canary back online, status completed. Meeting back at rendezvous spot."_

"_Cyborg here, status completed. See you guys there."_

"_The one and only Impulse is back, status bored and completed. Last one there is a rotting fish stick."_

"_Hey! Aquaman online. Heading back."_

A few moments later she heard.

"_Cyborg here, everyone has arrived." _

She could hear Bart in the background teasing A.C.

"_Ha-ha! Dude you're a rotting fish stick! Nah-uh-uh. You gotta be quicker than that if you wanna keep up with this speed demon." _

"_Leave A.C. alone. It's not his fault he's slow out of water."_

"_Yeah! Hey I'm offended by that."_

"Guys, play nice. Great job team. Be safe."

They all said their good-byes and one by one they went offline.

_What a day. _She wondered why she had been so out of it. All day she's had this spark in the back of her mind and she couldn't shake it off not only that but then add the odd vision to mix. It just didn't feel right, she simply didn't like it.

_I need to sleep._ _Maybe sleep can take it all away. _She walked to the couch and decided to rest there for a while.

As she succumbed to the darkness she could feel this pounding in her head. Before her eyes shut completely she felt this shifting sensation that alerted her senses and left her in a vertigo state. She wanted to fight it but the pull was too strong and her eyes drifted closed. One last thought went through her as it all went dark.

_What is happening to me?_

* * *

_A/n: Don't fret loves Ollie's coming :)_


	4. Chapter 3

_**A/N:**_ Thank you to those of you who reviewed and added it to your alerts, I appreciate it alot. Hope you like it and thanks for reading. :)

_**Disclaimer: **_**I don't own anything. Not the characters. Not the plot. zilch. zip. nada. They all belong to their respective owners. (Not me)**

* * *

**Chapter 3**

She was falling, or at least that's what it felt like. There was this force pulling her back into her sleeping body and once she was in she woke up with a jolt.

She glanced around unsure of her current location; her bedroom, that's where she was. She relaxed a little, but just a little.

She lay back down on her bed, rubbed her eyes, and stared up at the ceiling, _again_. It's been four days and she is still having the same dreams. It's always of her playing the role of this Watchtower persona, and then hearing the voices of her so-called _team_; never once does she see their faces but that simple dream offers so much understanding, it's as if she were meant to be there, helping and guiding them through those secret missions. She doesn't understand how she could produce such a vivid dream because there are no such things as heroes. No masked vigilantes, It makes it so easy to get lost into it and live it as if you were really there having no doubts that, that is where you belong. It made no sense what so ever because this was her life, not that.

Then comes the dream of her and her _cousin_ Lois, the familiarity, the tranquility it emancipates, it's irksome because she shouldn't feel this way towards a figment of her imagination. For some reason she reminds her of Sandy, the determination, the need to become something important and inform the world is what binds them. It's impossible.

As far as she knows her father was an only child and her mother – well she doesn't know anything about her mother's family which should make senses as to why she has never met a cousin.

Then there are those brief mentions of Oliver and Clark.

_Clark. _For some reason just hearing the name calms her, it offers her a sense of stability, of _friendship with no limits. _It may be a dream but it makes her smile with a hint of sadness attached to it because she has never experienced that type of friendship.

_What am I thinking? It's not real._

Then, there's _Oliver. _That's the name that sticks with her the most. It crawls under her skin and lights an emotion she still can't separate from the rest. It is safety, understanding, it calms her senses, leaves her with a fluttering feeling in the pit of her stomach, it flows in her system and makes her heart skip a beat. This man, whoever he may be offers her so much more and it scares her because he's just an illusion.

It's all a fabrication and she doesn't understand why her conscious wanders to a place that doesn't exist.

_I'm going crazy._

_No you're not._

_It's all in my head._

_You're just tired._

_It's doesn't make sense._

_Nothing ever does._

_What's happening to me?_

She rubbed her eyes; she didn't want to think about it anymore. She glanced over to her side and look at the time.

_1:30 am._

She groaned out loud.

She readjusted herself on the bed, and prayed for dreamless sleep. It was all useless, she was restless and kept tossing and turning until she finally decided to just face the wall. She started counting until finally she felt slumber taking its toll. Before succumbing completely she rolled over and her hand lolled to…

* * *

…the other side of the bed and came into contact with something hard. She turned her hand palm down and poked it until she felt it shift underneath her touch. _What the…? _She opened her eyes and jolted out of bed. She looked to her side and realized someone was there next to her. _Oliver. _She was utterly confused, she could have sworn that last night she went to sleep in her bed, inside her apartment, _alone_.

That's impossible though because she doesn't have an apartment. The only reason she had said that, was because as much as Lois supported Chloe and Oliver together, she would have gone all mother hen on her. So instead she made it seemed like she had gotten an apartment in the city when in fact she had moved in with Oliver. She would tell Lois the truth about her living arrangements, soon.

She rubbed sleep from her eyes as she lay back down. It was early morning and she honestly didn't feel like getting out of bed yet. She rolled to her side and faced Oliver. She liked watching him sleep peacefully, it calmed her.

Especially after that night at Watchtower, she didn't tell him about her unusual yet very _normal_ dream. It was always the same one, where she was pursuing her journalistic career and was 100 percent sure that _the Blur or the Green Arrow_ didn't exist. She remember some of the stories she had covered in her so-called dream but none of them involved _masked vigilantes, blown up secret labs, or strange savings by the Blur or the GA._ She was living a life where there was no Clark Kent, no Lois Lane, no Justice League and above all no Oliver Queen. Instead there was this _Sandy Saunders and Stanley Rogers._ She seemed to have developed a great friendship with them and they were pleasant people but why in the world would she be dreaming of non-existent strangers? That's what they were, after the second dream she had to figure out who they were so she had watchtower run a full blown investigation and she came out blank. They are figments and nothing more. It really left an uneasy feeling behind, what if she was dreaming this because she missed the simplicity of the past, because deep down she might want to live a life that doesn't include heroes, superpowers, or alien best friends'.

Before her mind could wonder any further a voice thick with sleep interrupted her thoughts.

"I can hear your mind thinking. What's wrong?"

She sighed and said, "Nothing just tired."

"You always were a good liar Chloe, but I'd like to think I know you well enough to notice when something isn't right." He shifted his body so he could be on his side facing her.

She looked into his eyes and realized that she would never want to live a life where he wasn't there and so she kept it to herself, well at least all the important details.

"I've been having these dreams, and it is so weird because I feel like I'm actually there. Like I'm actually living it in the flesh."

He tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and asked. "What is it about?"

She hesitated, she really didn't know how he would react to her telling him that she was dreaming of being a reporter. She didn't want him to think that maybe she was tired of leading the team and wanted to leave and go back to journalism. It wasn't that at all, she was comfortable here, this was her home.

Instead she said, "It doesn't matter really. I just wish they would go away and let me sleep in peace."

He ran his fingertips down her arm and her eyes fluttered close. He pressed his forehead to hers and whispered.

"Well then maybe we could just stay in bed today. I know a few things that could help you relax and forget about them."

She opened her eyes and stared straight into his, she could see the promise in them. He was more than capable of making her forget them, she was sure that he could make it so that she forgot that that there was even a world out there.

She kissed him briefly and said.

"You know we can't. Queen Industries is hosting that charity event and you need to go into the office to make sure everything is going well."

"It was just a suggestion." He gave her a playful smirk. It was his way of lightening the mood. He always knew the right moment to do it.

"It is still pretty early." She followed his league.

"Yeah, it is."

"And we are in bed already." She ran her fingers up and down his chest, his eyes seemed to darken a little.

"That we are." His voice was thick with need. She gave him a teasing smirk before tossing the sheets off of her so that she could climb out of bed.

He was stunned a bit, that was so not expected.

"Where do you think you're going?" He moved so that now his lower arm and elbow were supporting up his upper body.

"To shower, it may be early but you have a tendency of being late. I wonder why?" She winked at him as she headed to the door.

"Oh no, you don't!" He tossed the sheets and got out bed and caught up to her. He grabbed her by the waist and lifted her as he dragged her back to bed.

"Oliver! What are you doing?"

"Woman, if you think you can leave me high and dry then there is seriously something wrong with you. Don't make go all cave man on you."

She laughed and said. "Seriously, what are you gonna do? Bang your chest with your fists and demand sex."

He dropped her on the bed and started pounding on his chest like Tarzan and said, "Me want sexy time! You give me sexy time!" He screamed and then jumped into bed with Chloe who was having a laughing fit.

He got on top of her and pulled the sheets over them making a small tent. "You asked for it."

"You, Mr. Green are a very strange man. A very sexy strange man with Cave man tendencies."

He grinned at her then leaned down to kiss her and before his lips could touch hers, she started feeling that pull again. The last thing she remembers is hearing the faint buzzing of…

* * *

…the alarm that was going off in her apartment.

She woke up startled and beyond confused. One thought crossed her mind.

_What the hell was that?_


	5. Chapter 4

_**A/N:**_ Sorry for the late update. Thank you to those of you who reviewed, I appreciate it alot. Enjoy. :)

_**Disclaimer: **_**I don't own anything. Not the characters. Not the plot. zilch. zip. nada. They all belong to their respective owners. (Not me)**

* * *

**Chapter Four**

She couldn't stop thinking about it. Here she was at work and all she could think about was that dream she had. Her imagination had gone too far and it had felt way too real for her liking. It was one thing to dream about saving the world and a _cousin_ but adding a hot blonde whom she seems to be having a relationship to the mix, that's just a whole bucket of crazy.

_It doesn't make sense! How? Why? What?_

She was busy sitting at her desk cursing herself that she failed to notice the person that had just approached her.

"Someone seems to have woken up on the wrong side of the bed."

Chloe looked up at person and it was _Lois _who was standing in front of her. She was completely shocked. _This can't be. You're just a dream. _She closed her eyes in hopes that she was just hallucinating _–_not that it was going to make things better if she were_-_ then she opened them back and she realized that it was actually Sandy who was standing there. _Oh God, what is wrong with me? I'm seeing things now._

_You're going crazy, Chloe. It's all in your head! Nothing is real. Nothing!_

Her inner voice was laced with malice and it left an eerie sensation crawling under her skin.

She was startled by it but before she could continue with her inner discussion, Sandy disrupted her train of thoughts.

"Chloe are you ok? You look like you've seen an apparition or something." Sandy was giving her a worried expression.

She mumbled to herself. "Or something."

"What was that?"

She cleared her throat before speaking. "Nothing, I said I was fine. Just tired, I couldn't really sleep last night."

"Those dreams again?"

She sighed. She had mentioned the dreams to her friend but never really in detail. It's not like you can just go and tell them about masked vigilantes who are trying to save the world. Come on they don't exist. They'd think she was crazy and her sanity being questioned wasn't something she was willing to gamble.

"Yeah. I just wish they would go away, you know?"

Before her friend could respond they were interrupted by Stanley.

"Hey, so are you guys ready for tonight?"

Relief flooded through Chloe, she was tired of thinking about the dreams and the last thing she wanted was to talk about it, so the distraction Stanley provided was very welcomed by her.

She answered. "Yes, I can't wait." She glanced at Sandy and then continued, "Me and Sands over here are going to give the best cover story."

Sandy continued, "Of course! This is the last byline we are gonna share together so might as well make it the best yet."

Stanley grinned at both woman and said, "I have no doubt about that. And as much as I like you two paired up, I kind of want my partner back."

Chloe teased him. "You only want Sands back, because she does all the dirty work."

"Hey! That's not true. I do stuff too!"

"Children, please. There is no need to fight over me, there's plenty of Sandy to go around."

Chloe giggled at her friend while Stanley rolled his eyes.

"Ok. Now that we have settled the fact that you both love me, I say we get out of here and go get ready for the event."

"I would love to go with you two wonderful women but, I have to go to the mansion and check in with my father. This leaves me to say, see you tonight." They both hugged him goodbye and a few moments after collecting their stuff they headed out.

Once outside Chloe declined to share a cab with Sandy.

"It's ok, you go on. I have to head the other direction and pick up my dress for later on. It's on the way home so I'll be fine."

"Are you sure? I mean we-"

Chloe interrupted her with, "Yeah, I'll just see you tonight ok?"

"Ok."

Chloe headed towards her destination, she arrived at the boutique and got her dress. She had chosen a nice silver evening gown, it was simple and she absolutely loved it.

She was heading home now, and once she arrived she headed up to her floor and when she reached the doorstep she opened…

* * *

…it and walked into the Penthouse.

As soon as she stepped inside she stopped.

_Not this feeling again._

She was dizzy and she needed to sit down, so she headed towards the living room and was surprised at what or more exactly who she saw.

"Chloelicious, it's been too long." Bart grinned at her before super speeding to her side and kissing her cheek.

She rolled her eyes but couldn't stop the smile that appeared on her face.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. Hey, Chloe good to see you again."

"You're just jealous Tin Man cause she likes me best." Victor rolled his eyes.

"Right bro, that's why she's with Oliver."

"Look Chicken from the Sea, if I wanted your input on this I would've asked for it."

A.C stood from the couch and launched himself over it towards Bart, but he was way too slow.

"What did I tell you about trying to keep up with me dude, it isn't gonna happen. Just sit down Nemo."

"Guys."

"Relax super amigo, me and Shamu over there are just kidding."

A.C cursed and decided to go back and sit. He passed behind the chair Bart was sitting in and managed to smack him in the head.

"Hey man, not cool!"

Clark just stood there and shook his head while Victor ignored them and continued doing what he was doing on his computer.

"Hi Chloe."

"Hey Clark." She gave him a smile and then started walking towards the bedroom.

As she headed towards the room she couldn't help but be amused by her teams antics. If people saw them now they wouldn't believe that this was the group that would save the world.

She walked into her bedroom to hang up her gown and as she opened the box she was surprised at the dress. It looked nothing like she remembered, this was a midnight blue dress.

_This dress is supposed to be silver, not blue._

She stared at it for a while and then a memory flashed in her mind, it was of her and Lois picking out the blue one then the image swirled and faded into her and Sandy picking out the silver dress.

_No, that can't be._

She closed her eyes and then suddenly this wicked voice spoke to her.

_You have to pick. Pick one. _

Fear was crawling up her spine.

"Chloe?"

Her eyes snapped open and she turned to face the door. It was Oliver and he was sporting one of his infamous worrying expressions. She quickly masked her fear and put a smile on her face hoping it was convincing enough.

"Ollie! You're home."

"Yeah, are you ok?" Her smile faltered. He didn't fall for it.

"Why does everyone keep asking me that?" She sighed as she sat down on the bed.

"Everyone? Chlo, I just asked this once." She bit her lip as she tried to come up with a quick response.

"I know I'm just being dramatic here." She gave a forced laugh. Oliver eyed her suspiciously but before he could get a chance to question her again Clark appeared behind Ollie. They both turned to look at the heroic friend.

"Hey, the guys and I are going to head out." He looked between both blondes before continuing. "Am I interrupting something?"

"No you're not. Ollie and I will be in the living room shortly."

He gave a quick nod before heading back towards where he came from.

Chloe stood up and walked up to Oliver and kissed him briefly.

"I'm fine" she murmured against his lips. She moved her hand to tangle it with his as she walked towards the door and tugged him behind her.

She glanced over her shoulder at him and said, "Come on, let's say goodbye so we can start getting ready for the event. We can't have the host be late."

They both walked into the living room, and as her eyes landed on the guys in front of her the voice returned but this time it was taunting her.

_This isn't real. They aren't real. You're imagining things that aren't there. They don't exist, it's all in your head. _

_It's all in your head!_

Fear took a hold of her body and she was trying so hard to keep it in. Ollie let go of her hand so that he could go over to the guys and say farewell. She was glad because then he wouldn't be able to notice her slight shaking.

She was distracted as she bid farewell to them; thankfully no one noticed. As soon as they left Chloe suggested that Ollie go ahead and start getting ready.

As he was showering she sat on the couch, those words were running endless circles in her mind. Worry, fear, and anxiety were coursing through her veins. She was trying so hard to keep her tears back, sighing she dropped her face into her palms.

_Something is definitely wrong with me._

* * *

what did you think? Xx :)


	6. Chapter 5

_**A/N:**_ Sorry for the late update and if this chapter seems rushed and/or all over the place. Thank you to those of you who reviewed, I appreciate it alot. Enjoy and tell me what you thought. :)

_**Disclaimer: **_**I don't own anything. Not the characters. Not the plot. zilch. zip. nada. They all belong to their respective owners. (Not me)**

* * *

**Chapter Five**

It's as if she had been walking in a haze, like she was outside looking in.

Earlier while she had been getting ready her reality had shifted. She had seen herself with them, the league, Oliver and Clark. She had heard that voice and felt the fear.

It had been different this time, it all changed before her eyes and most of all she had remembered, _everything_. It wasn't like the previous times, there was no pain before hand, no feeling of forgetfulness afterward, just sheer confusion and it really did terrify her because she didn't understand, it didn't make sense.

_What is happening to me? Am I going insane?_

_Insane! You're insane. Beautifully insane! Haha! Nothing is reeeaal. Pick one! This or that? A or B? Hahaha. _

The laughing and mocking in her heard stopped, but before it ended completely she heard it again, it was laced with hatred and malevolence.

_You will end up like you're mother._

That did it. It made her sick, it crawled inside of her and made that dreadful feeling drill into her skin, blood and bones, like it was burying itself deep within her basest form. She snapped, the turmoil was too much for her to handle and she started crying. She cried for the uncertainty it left behind, for the mess her mind was becoming, and for the silent promise the last statement made.

She was sitting in the darkest corner of her room, hugging her knees to her chest, rocking back and forth mumbling to herself as she cried. "It's not real. This isn't happening. It's a dream, that's it. Just a dream. Wake up. Wake up. Please, Wake up!" She dropped her head into knees and her cries became louder.

She thought of her mother, her poor mother who had no control over her mind.

_I don't want to be like her._

That was how Sandy found her, crying and hugging herself.

"Chloe? Hun what's wrong?" She approached the blonde on the floor, unsure and confused. "Chloe, did you hear me? What happened to you?"

There was faint mumbling coming from Chloe and Sandy shifted closer to get a better look at the blonde.

She kneeled down next to the girl and finally made out what she was saying and noticed how tightly her eyes were closed and how her cheeks were tainted by the tears that were cascading down her face.

"You're not real. You're not real. You're not real. Go away."

She laid her hand gently on Chloe's shoulder and her eyes snapped open. The fear was evident in her gaze.

"Chloe, honey you're not making any sense. What is wrong? Talk to me."

She tried to pull her into an embrace but she retreated and backed up more into the wall. Tears were running down her face. "Why are you doing this to me? Just leave me alone."

"I don't understand what is it that I'm doing?"

"You're just a dream, a figment nothing more. Go away." She was sobbing and rocking back and forth and laid her head on her knees once again.

Sandy grabbed her head and pulled it up to look at her, she saw the faraway look before she closed her eyes.

"A dream? Chloe. Look at me, open your eyes!" Chloe shook her head. "Open your eyes and look at me! I'm real, I'm here." She opened her eyes slowly and then stared at her friend.

Chloe whispered the next words, scared that if she spoke them too loud something bad would happen.

"What about them? They seemed real too. I felt and knew them there but not here. It doesn't make sense."

"Them? Knew them where, in your dreams? Is that what this is about?" Chloe just nodded.

"Sweetie, those are dreams nothing more." Sandy's face broke from the worrying expression into one of pity.

"But-"

"No buts Chloe. Those are dreams. Look I'm going to go call Stanley and let him know we won't be going to the event and then get one of the other reporters to cover it. Ok? Chloe?"

Chloe looked at her friend and nodded, her sobbing had stopped but the tears kept falling. Sandy walked out of the room and Chloe sat there still mumbling to herself. "This is real and they aren't. They're not real." She closed her eyes inhaled and exhaled a shaky breath.

_They aren't real. _

_Are you sure?_

* * *

She opened her eyes and looked around her franticly, she wasn't in her room anymore, instead she was in the living room of the penthouse, the door to the bedroom opened and Oliver walked out. He was looking down as he was buttoning up his sleeves. She could feel the wetness run down her cheeks as the fear return. Her body started to shake as she sat on the couch and all she could think was, "_NO! He's not real!"_

"It's not nice to lead someone on into thinking that you were going to join them in the shower. Next time-" he stopped and looked up at her.

He noticed the discomfort, the fear in her eyes, how she was trying to stop her body from shaking, he saw the death grip her hands had on the couch. She was scared, _of him._ His eyebrows furrowed together as he slowly approached her.

"Chloe, what's wrong?" She could hear the worry in his voice and it broke her. She started sobbing, not hysterically, but enough to alert him that something was definitely wrong.

She was sitting at the edge staring at him through blurry sight. He was getting closer and she wanted nothing more than to run.

"Chloe talk to me." He was getting close and once he was a few feet away she shot up and backed away from him.

"Stay away from me! Go away!" She brought her hands up to her hand and closed her eyes. "You're not real. Wake up! Come on wake up!"

Oliver walked up to her and grabbed her arms and pulled them down. Her eyes snapped up to his and he saw the fear and it was directed at him.

She started pulling her arms trying to get out of his grip but he wouldn't budge, he held on. "Please, leave me alone. You're not real. Why won't you just leave me alone? I want to wake up."

She begged him and she noticed the hurt in his face. He spoke softly to her, "Chlo, what are you talking about? Of course I'm real. Look at me, can't you feel me." He grabbed her hands and pulled them up to his face. "Feel me. I'm real babe."

She started crying and her sobs shook her body. He pulled her to him and as he held her close to him he kissed the top of her head and mumbled. "I'm real. I'm real."

She remembered what Sandy said and then pulled away from him and started to walk backwards. She looked at him and said, "No you're not! Sandy said this was all a dream. This isn't real."

"Yes, it is. This is as real as it gets! Chloe look at me I'm right here! It's me, Oliver. I'm real!"

"Oliver? No. You don't exist." For a second there she was going to give in but then shook her head and kept walking backwards.

"Yes I do. I'm here. I'm real." She saw the sincerity in his face and tears fell from her face, again. She stopped walking and he approached her cautiously and brought a hand up to her face to wipe away the wetness. He kissed her forehead and whispered "Chloe, I'm real."

"You're real." He felt her body resign.

He hugged her and walked them both back to the couch then made her sit down.

"I'm going to call Lois and Clark, Ok?" She nodded and just sat there and watched as he walked away.

"Oliver is real. He's real." She whispered to herself as she looked down at her hands. "Oliver is real."

_He's real._

_Think again!_

* * *

Everything shifted in front of her again, she was back in the room and this time Stanley and Sandy were there staring at her.

"Chloe, who's Oliver?"


	7. Chapter 6

_**Disclaimer: **_**I don't own anything. Not the characters. Not the plot. zilch. zip. nada. They all belong to their respective owners. (Not me)**

* * *

**Chapter Six**

"Chloe, who's Oliver?"

_No. No. No. NO!_

She closed her eyes tightly then opened them to see both Sandy and Stanley staring down at her, still. _This can't be. _She closed them again. _One. Two. Three. Four. Five._ She opened them again, _nothing._ They were still there.

Stanley approached her this time around. "Chloe, is something wrong? Who's Oliver?"

Chloe could feel the panic begin to rise in her but she wouldn't let it show. _Relax. Breathe. Relax. Just go with it, for now. Relax._

_Hahaha! It's not going to work. You're crazy. Crazy!_

_Shut up! Shut up!_

She looked at Stanley and tried her best not to panic as she stood up.

"Umm, yeah I'm fine. I just uh-" _Think Chloe, think. _"I have dreams sometimes, uh, they're really vivid and um, it takes a while for me to snap out of it. When I was younger the doctor said it was due to the trauma of not having my mother around so it was a way of holding on to something that's not there. I guess leaving my father behind has triggered it again." She lied through her teeth, she hated it but they wouldn't understand.

She mustered the most reassuring smile she could. "I guess Oliver is just someone from when I was younger, I don't really remember much about dreams afterwards."

She collected her emotions enough to come off as calm as possible.

"Look, I'm sorry. It just happens. You guys should go. It's late already and I think I should go to bed, I'm really tired." She walked to her bed and sat down.

Both her friends shared a look then Sandy went to sit next to her. "Chloe, we understand but just in case I'm staying here. Your couch and I will be getting to know each other tonight, he seems great and I think we can make it work." The blonde couldn't contain the small laugh that left her. She turned to face her friend and stared at her for a bit. _How can she not be real? How can Oliver not be real?_ She nodded gave her friend a small smile and then said, "Ok."

"I guess I should go. If you need anything don't hesitate to call." Stanley came over to hug Chloe and as soon as his body came into contact with hers she stiffened, this was too much for her. He was solidly real. _I need to figure out what is happening before I go completely insane. _He released herand didn't seem to notice the hesitation.

"I'll walk you to the door, Chloe you should go to bed. I'm going to be in the living room if you need anything. Ok, sweetie." The petite blonde just nodded as they stepped out of her room while she lay on her bed. Silent tears started running down her face as she recalled the previous events. _I can't do this. What if I am going crazy? I don't think I can handle this alone._

She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath then exhaled shakily. She turned to her side and decided that it was best to sleep; her body was tired emotionally, physically and definitely mentally. She was going to go with it for now, and figured what it was that was happening to her, her sanity hung in the balance and she wasn't willing to lose it. Slowly she started drifting and so she gave into the spell of sleep.

_She was in a dark place, she couldn't see but she could hear footsteps, things being shuffled around and… machines beeping? She tried looking around her but it was too dark to see, like an empty void. She called out, "Hello? Is anybody there? Heellooo?" there was no response._

_She started hearing voices coming from her left and she snapped her head in that direction but all she saw was darkness, there was nothing there but empty space. The voices were that of a woman and a man but she couldn't really understand what it is that they were saying. She closed her eyes and tried blocking out everything but their voices. She was straining her hearing and she managed to catch snippets of the conversation. _

"_What's the status report on our current project?"_

"_It's progressing very well, actually. Her brain waves are unstable and spike here and there. The longer we keep her sedated the harder it becomes for her to tell the difference. In a few hours she won't know what way is up, to be precise she won't know who she is."_

_Brain waves? Spiking? Who are they talking about?_

_She couldn't see the woman but she could sense the evil grin when she spoke._

"_Good. Continue with the procedures and keep her sedated. Remember I can be extremely generous when it involves a job well done."_

_What the hell? Procedures?_

"_Don't worry Miss,-"_

"_CHLOE!" Her eyes snapped opened at the sound of her name. She could feel a faint tug in her mind, something or more exact someone was calling her out. She looked around and she still couldn't see anyone._

"_Chloe, wake up!" She was franticly looking around trying to see a way out but instead the pull got stronger and then she felt like she was falling again. _

Light, she could feel the warmth of it on her eyelids and she could hear commotion all around her too.

"Chloe, come one wake up." She could feel hands on her arms shaking her lightly. _What the…?_ She was still disoriented and for some reason she couldn't control her body yet, but she recognized the voice. _Lois._

As if to prove her right she heard, "Lois, you shouldn't wake her up maybe we should let her sleep."

"Look Smallville she's not your cousin, she's mine. Which leads me to decide what is good for her and what isn't and right now sleeping doesn't sound like a good idea." Chloe noticed that Lois had directed her anger to someone else then. "I can't believe you let her fall asleep! What if something's wrong with her? How can you be so calm! If anything happens-!"

"You don't know what I'm feeling! You weren't the one who found her in that state! You didn't hear her saying you didn't exist or see the fear in her eyes directed at you!" Lois had gotten up by that point and stood toe to toe with Oliver. _Their worry is too valid. They seem too real._

"That's enough, both of you! Your fighting is not going to help Chloe!" As if on cue she groaned and started to shift in the bed. Three heads snapped in her direction and she felt the bed sink around her to accommodate the added weight.

She felt arms around her and heard a sigh in relief as she was bombarded by questions. "Oh my God! How are you feeling? What happened?" She pulled apart from Lois and saw the worry in the brunette's eyes. _Lie. Go with it and lie. _This felt so wrong. "I'm tired, just _really_ tired." _It's not a complete lie, I am tired. _She provided a small smile that seemed to calm the brunette a bit.

"Are you sure you're ok? We can call the doctor -"

"No! No doctor." She took Lois' hand in hers and gave it a squeeze to reassure her. "You know how I feel about them Lo."

The tall dark-haired man decided to voice his concern. "But what if there's something wrong Chloe?" She turned to look at him who was standing next to Ollie as they kept quite while both women talked.

"Clark, I'm fine. It was all a bad dream. I promise." The care they emancipated started tugging at her heart. _How can they not be real?_

"I don't believe you. Chloe, according to Oliver you freaked out at him. Tell me what's going on? No, I demand to know. As your older cousin it is my duty and my responsibility to take care of you, you're my family and I love you."

She could feel the tears forming in her eyes and the warmth of them as they ran down her cheeks. _What the hell does the universe want from me? Why me?_

"Oh, Chloe, I'm sorry I didn't mean to upset you. I-" Lois hugged her and started making soothing circles on her back.

"No, it's just that I'm tired and I've had an overwhelming day. Can we talk about this tomorrow? Please? I promise I'll tell you everything."

Lois looked at Chloe then nodded. "Fine, but you better get some rest now."

Lois stood from the bed and Clark got closer to give her a goodbye hug, when he pulled away he kissed the top of her head and said, "Take care of yourself Chlo." She gave him a small smile and nodded.

Oliver who had not spoken since his outburst with Lois finally said, "I'll walk you guys to the door." All three of them walked out of the room leaving her alone with her thoughts.

Chloe could tell that she had hurt Oliver, she hadn't meant to but the circumstances didn't make sense. _I'm sorry. _She brought her knees up and hugged them closed to her chest. She could hear their whispers in the living room but didn't want to dwell on that. She closed her eyes and leaned her forehead on her knees. There was something else she wanted to think about.

_That dream. _

It had been different than what she was use to yet she couldn't stop thinking about it. The conversation that she had heard didn't make sense at all.

_Doesn't it?_

_That voice!_ She snapped her head up just in time to see Oliver walk in. He quietly went over to the dresser and pulled out some pajama bottoms and walked to the restroom and changed. When he got out he walked to the bed and sat next to her. She could see the hurt and confusion in his eyes and in the way his shoulders were stiff.

"I'm sorry."

He turned to look at her and said, "Let me in. Tell me so I can understand what is happening to you." She looked down at her knees and repeated the semi-lie. "It was a bad dream nothing more. I'm just tired."

_He knows you're lying. _

_You don't know what you're saying. _

_Don't I?_

She decided to ignore the voice in her head and instead looked up at him when he didn't say anything. He gave a deep sigh got up and walked to the other side of the bed. She watched as he got under the covers and lay next to her and turned off the lights. She readjusted herself under the covers and stared up at the ceiling.

_Tell him. Tell him, maybe he can help._

_Nobody can help you, you can't be saved._

She closed her eyes trying to stop the voice again. She turned her body to face him, she slowly wound her arm around his torso and she shifted closer to him. Not many seconds later she felt him bring her closer if possible. There tucked into his body she felt safe, even if he wasn't real she held on because it was the safest she had ever felt. She feared what would happened once she closed her eyes, she just prayed that she would wake up next to him, because she knew he would make it better.

* * *

_**A/N:**_ Sorry for the late update. I changed the format of the story, I won't add the dividers anymore for a reason. If you feel the transitions in this chapter are too confusing let me know. I don't want to confuse you anymore than should. Thanks for reading loves. Xx


	8. Chapter 7

A/n: Here's the next chapter! Hope you like it and thanks for reading and to those of you who reviewed. :)

_**Disclaimer: **_**I don't own anything. Not the characters. Not the plot. zilch. zip. nada. They all belong to their respective owners. (Not me)**

* * *

**Chapter Seven**

"_Chloeee, ooohh Chloooooeee."_

_She looked around wildly and then realization hit, she was in that dark place again. She could hear faint voices in the distance tugging at her pulling in different directions, she ignore them though. There was one voice in particular she wanted to focus on, it was the one that had been in her mind for the past days taunting her._

"_What do you want from me?" she yelled._

_Laughter was the only response, it was disturbing and it made her skin crawl. She shivered in fear._

"_Are you scared?" She could feel the wickedness drip from voice. "Well, are you?"_

_The anxiety was boiling inside of her. No, she wasn't going to give in to it and so she ignored the question._

"_What is happening to me? What do you want?"_

"_HAHA! What do I want? Hmm. What do I want?" There was silence and then she heard it again and it was deadly low. "I want to play a game, how long till Chloe Sullivan snaps. HAHA!"_

_The laughter stopped and the darkness shifted, she could see shadowy figures start to form, soon the shadows were gone and she found herself standing at end of a dim lit hallway. She looked to her left and spotted a door at the other end._

_She cautiously walked towards the door, halfway there she heard some people talking. Her eyes widen when she recognized who they were, it was them. It was the same people she heard in her dream. She slowly opened the door once she reached it. The bright light inside caused her to close her eyes, then she blinked a few times to try and adjust her sight to the new environment. She was surprised at what she saw when she stepped in. The room was small and there were four people inside she looked to the side and saw a glass window and there were 3 more out there, observing. She wasn't able to tell if she knew them or not, there were shadows covering their faces. Inside the room one out of four was strapped onto a table and had machines attached to her, one of them – a man - was standing there just staring down at her._

_The other one was shorter and he seemed to be taking down notes from the machines every time they beeped. _

"_How is she doing doctor?" the woman spoke._

"_There's something wrong. Her vitals are stabilizing and her brain waves look normal. Something is off." _

_Chloe noticed the other woman turn her attention to the man who stood looking over the table._

"_What is the problem?"_

"_Her mind has created a wall, it's blocking me and I can't reach her." His voice! He was the one who would taunt her._

"_Well, then you better find a way to reach her, you are an illusionist after all, create something anything to unblock it!" The woman stormed out of the room leaving the doctor and the illusionist._

_She walked closer to the table; she needed to know who it was that was strapped. She stopped on the other side of the table facing the one the woman had called "the illusionist" and she looked down. There was something familiar about the person that was lying there; she just couldn't put her finger on it. _

"_Don't you recognize her?" She snapped her head in the direction she heard the distorted voice. It was a cloaked figure and it was the same height as her. She started walking backwards and soon the figure started walking towards her. "Don't worry. I'm not going to hurt you. I'm not who you think I am."_

"_How would you know what it is that I'm thinking of?" She said with some bite in her voice._

"_Easy, I'm in your head. I know everything."_

_She narrowed her eyes at the figure and asked. "Who are you and how is it that you are in my head?"_

_She noticed two slender and feminine arms appear from underneath the cloak as they reached to pull down the hood. _

"_I'm you." She gasped as she stared at herself. She furrowed her eyebrows as she let everything sink in. In my head? My head!_

"_Wait! This" she pointed all around her "is my head?"_

"_Ding, Ding, Ding we have a winner." _

_She looked back at where the table was. "Is that – Is that me?"_

"_Technically it's us, but yeah."_

"_How is that you're me and what does he mean by being blocked?"_

"_I'm part of your conscience, of your memories to be precise. Think of this moment as a mental coma, you're mind is trying to protect you from whatever it is "the illusionist" over there is doing to you and its created mind blockades to stop him from messing with your reality any further, the problem is that the it won't last, that's why I'm here to try and help you. He's the reason why you think you're going crazy. He has altered your mind and looked at your dreams which he took and created the two realities you keep jumping from, well they're actually illusions. He's trying to confuse you and if he succeeds you will be lost forever."_

_Chloe looked down as she thought about it._

"_Problem solved. None of those two are real, that is." She said pointing towards her form on the table._

"_It's not that simple anymore. Subconsciously you know they aren't but somehow you've managed to convince yourself into believe that one of those two is real. That determination is what fuels his power over your mind. You have no other option but to choose between them."_

"_You said you're a part of my memory, so tell me which one I should choose."_

"_Both of those lives are a part of you, one of them though you left behind and the other you embraced. Those two are the foundations of who you are."_

_Suddenly the walls around them started crumbling and the room along with the lights started disappearing._

"_He's back in control. Listen Chloe, both are basics of whom you are; one is an illusion of who you wanted to be the other a reality of where you belong. Choose the right one and you will end the illusions, choose the wrong one and you will be lost forever."_

_Darkness surrounded her again. "Wait! Come back, how do I know what is what?"_

_She heard a faint whisper, "Listen to your heart." Followed by the menacing voice of the illusionist._

"_Let's keep playing."_

_Then she was falling._


	9. Chapter 8

_**Disclaimer: **_**I don't own anything. Not the characters. Not the plot. zilch. zip. nada. They all belong to their respective owners. (Not me)**

* * *

**Chapter Eight**

Someone was shaking her and then the hand on her shoulder was gone. She groaned and pulled the covers over her head as soon as sunlight penetrated through the now open window and lit up her room. _They must have gone to pull open the curtains._

She felt the bed shift and the hand on her shoulder returned shaking her again.

"Come on, party animal. It's time to wake up." _Sandy. _

At the sound of her voice she threw the covers off of her and stared at her guest with wide-eyes. She furrowed her eyebrows when she noticed that Sandy looked all cleaned-up, it's not like she had clothes here._ She must've gone home. _

She knew it had been too much to ask that she wake up next to Oliver. It's not that she didn't feel comfortable here; it was just something about him personally. The way he made her feel, it felt right. _Follow your heart._

"Hello, anybody in there?"

She snapped out her thoughts. "Hmm" She noticed Sandy's hand waving in front of her. "Yeah, sorry it's just that after last night I'm a bit out of it."

Sandy grinned at her and that confused her. "I would be too. You weren't kidding when you said you were a lightweight."

Chloe gave her a questioning look. _What?_

"What are you talking about? Last night I -"

Her memories quickly traveled back to when Sandy found her crying hysterically in her room and started calming her down, it quickly shifted to a living room and Oliver was comforting her. Things changed back to her and Sandy with Stan as he left and her friend stayed, then her falling asleep only to find herself dreaming about complete darkness with voices in the background talking about projects and brain waves, only to wake up and find herself in a room with Lois, Oliver, and Clark as the blonde walked the other two to the door and come back once they left. She remembers falling asleep and dreaming with the darkness and the voice that lurks there. Then there were two of her and they were talking and _she doesn't understand._

Sandy cut her off and missed the confused expression on Chloe's face as she got into retelling the events of the previous night.

"Last night, I mean you drank and boy did you drink." She giggled "-It's no surprise that you don't remember, I mean look at you, you're still wearing your dress."

"Huh?" Chloe looked down and noticed the strapless blue dress. Her eyes glazed over and her mind took her to the day she bought the dress. Sandy stared at her as an evil smirk set on her face.

_She was standing in front of a full-length mirror admiring the burgundy dress she had on. She spotted Lois walking towards her and turned to look at her. She had a blue dress in her outstretched hands encouraging her to take it._

_"I found the perfect dress for you."Lois beamed at Chloe who took the dress._

_"I don't know, Lois. It looks too tight and frankly I like breathing."_

_Lois rolled her eyes. "Sorry to burst your bubble, but you're going to be in a room full of greedy people who have inflated egos. You're gonna have a hard time breathing as it is." _

_Chloe shook her head at Lois as she stepped down from the stool and walked to her dressing stall. "They aren't all that way and some are actually very nice."_

_Lois snorted very un-lady-like and rolled her eyes. "Yeah yeah. Po-tay-toe, po-tah-to. It's the same difference."_

_She stuck her tongue out at Lois and then pulled the curtain closed to change into the dress. There was a pulling sensation in her mind and a stinging one behind her eyes. She blinked a couple of times, - unaware of the shifting going on around her- and the feeling was gone. She opened the curtain and found Sandy sitting in one of the chairs._

_"What do you think?" Chloe asked with a small smile._

_"I think I found you the perfect dress." _

She shook her head and Sandy was talking energetically at her. She was feeling off for some reason. A few words from what the other woman said struck a chord in her mind. _Last Night._

Certain moments were running through her mind and slowly one by one they were fading.

_Chloe cut her off. "Whoa, slow down there chipper. There's nothing wrong and Oliver didn't do anything. Everything's ok. What, can't your favorite cousin visit you at work?"_

_Lois rolled her eyes while Chloe just grinned at her. "You're my only cousin."_

-i-

_"Welcome Chloe, Watchtower is online."_

_She ordered out loud. "Activate computers. Open com links of Impulse, Canary, Aquaman, and Cyborg,"_

_"Com links open."_

-i-

_"I can hear your mind thinking. What's wrong?"_

_She sighed and said, "Nothing just tired."_

_"You always were a good liar Chloe, but I'd like to think I know you well enough to notice when something isn't right." He shifted his body so he could be on his side facing her._

_She looked into Oliver's eyes and realized that she would never want to live a life where he wasn't there._

-i-

_"Chloelicious, it's been too long." Bart grinned at her before super speeding to her side and kissing her cheek._

_She rolled her eyes but couldn't stop the smile that appeared on her face._

_"I wouldn't do that if I were you. Hey, Chloe good to see you again."_

_"You're just jealous Tin Man cause she likes me best." Victor rolled his eyes._

_"Right bro, that's why she's with Oliver." _

_"Look Chicken from the Sea, if I wanted your input on this I would've asked for it."_

-i-

_"Yes, it is. This is as real as it gets! Chloe look at me I'm right here! It's me, Oliver. I'm real!"_

_"Oliver? No. You don't exist." For a second there she was going to give in but then shook her head and kept walking backwards._

_"Yes I do. I'm here. I'm real." She saw the sincerity in his face and tears fell from her face, again. She stopped walking and he approached her cautiously and brought a hand up to her face to wipe away the wetness. He kissed her forehead and whispered "Chloe, I'm real."_

_"You're real." _

-i-

_"I guess I should go. If you need anything don't hesitate to call." _

_"I'll walk you to the door, Chloe you should go to bed. I'm going to be in the living room if you need anything. Ok, sweetie." _

-i-

_"What's the status report on our current project?"_

_"It's progressing very well, actually. Her brain waves are unstable and spike here and there. The longer we keep her sedated the harder it becomes for her to tell the difference. In a few hours she won't know what way is up, to be precise she won't know who she is."_

-i-

_"But what if there's something wrong Chloe?" _

_"Clark, I'm fine. It was all a bad dream. I promise." _

-i-

_"I don't believe you. Chloe, according to Oliver you freaked out at him. Tell me what's going on? No, I demand to know. As your older cousin it is my duty and my responsibility to take care of you, you're my family and I love you."_

-i-

_She turned her body to face him, she slowly wound her arm around his torso and she shifted closer to him. Not many seconds later she felt him bring her closer if possible. There tucked into his body she felt safe, even if he wasn't real she held on because it was the safest she had ever felt. She feared what would happened once she closed her eyes, she just prayed that she would wake up next to him, because she knew he would make it better. _

-i-

_She walked closer to the table; she needed to know who it was that was strapped._

_"I'm you."_

_"You are an illusionist after all."_

_"He's trying to confuse you and if he succeeds you will be lost forever."_

_"One is an illusion of who you wanted to be the other a reality of where you belong. Choose the right one and you will end the illusions, choose the wrong one and you will be lost forever."_

_"Follow your heart."_

_"Let's keep playing."_

-i-

_They were gone and her memory of last night was replaced with one of her, Sandy, and Stanley at the charity event. Her interviewing Mr. Thomas Rogers about Rogers Auto Parts Production and the event, to her drinking and dancing having a good time. Finally of her stumbling through her door late last night to just waking up this morning. Not a trace of Oliver, the League, Lois, or Clark was left in her mind._

_The last things she heard was her voice telling her, "No, don't forget."_

She was brought out of it when she noticed Sandy waving her hand in front of her again.

"God, I think the drinks did have an effect on you. What are you thinking about?" Sandy said with a giggle.

"I-" she furrowed her eyebrows and brought her lips together into a thin line "- don't remember."

"No surprise there, why don't you go take a shower and then we can go get some coffee?" She gave the blonde a smile and Chloe nodded as she got out of bed and headed into her bathroom. She closed the door behind her and as she stared at her reflection she realized something was off, her eyes were red and puffy like she had been crying. There was a voice in her head. "You can't forget, try and remember." She shook it off when she heard Sandy on the other side of her door.

"You didn't fall asleep in there did you?"

"No, of course not. I'll be out in a bit."

"Good."

Sandy heard the water running and then a smirk set on her face as she sat on one of the chairs near Chloe's window. She grabbed a small portrait of Chloe and as she stared at the picture, she mumbled to herself and her voice came out different, it was disoriented. "It's time to raise the stakes. You won't remember a thing when I'm done with you."

She turned to look out the window and a set of eyes stared back at her, one brown the other gray. Her smirk grew wider.

-i-

Two doors burst open and the Illusionist turned and stared at the woman who had walked in.

"What did you do?"

He gave her an innocent smile. "Whatever do you mean?"

"Don't play cute with me. I know you did something to her. The Doctor said her brain waves were reaching a critical point! She is not supposed to die!" The woman said through clenched teeth.

"You told me to drive her crazy to the point where she won't remember who she is. That is what I'm doing. Things have changed and gotten complicated, so I had to take different methods in order for your plan to work."

She glared at the man with the brown and gray eyes. "She better not die. Someone already wants me dead, I won't have another exclusive club after my head too!" She turned and walked out the door leaving him with just a smirked on his face.

-i-

"Tell me you know where she is?" The statement came from the man who had currently walked through the Watchtower doors. He pulled down his hood and took of his glasses as he stepped closer to Victor who was currently in front of the screens.

"Nothing, yet. The League is out there searching for her right now."

Oliver ran a hand over his face and sighed deeply.

"What about her tracker?"

Victor typed something into the computer and the grid came up on the screen. "It's inactive."

Oliver turned and punched the closest thing to him. "Damn it!" He sat on the closest chair and mumbled, "Where are you Chloe?"

-i-

She was under the hot water letting it run down the length of her body. She sighed and closed her eyes. _You have to remember! Try and remember._

She opened her eyes and looked around her.

_Don't Forget._

"What?"

* * *

_**A/N:**_ Sorry for the late update! Thank you for bearing with me and reading and reviewing!

Xx


	10. Chapter 9

_**Disclaimer: **_**I don't own anything. Not the characters. Not the plot. zilch. zip. nada. They all belong to their respective owners. (Not me)**

* * *

**Chapter Nine**

"How does it feel to have no control over your mind?" He venomously whispered into her ear. He was crouching down so that he could be face level with her as she lay on the operation table. His eyes roamed her face and saw the tiny bit of perspiration building on her forehead.

"Don't take it too personal. I'm just doing my job." He stood to his full height.

At the sound of the door opening he turned and faced the red-head that had just walked in.

"Good morning Ms. Mercer." He smirked at her as she rolled her eyes.

"Has she chosen, Eisenheim."

"She won't need to." His grin grew wider.

She looked at him confused. "What do you mean,_ she won't need to_?"

He shrugged and turned to stare at Chloe's form.

"Exactly, how it sounds. I've twisted her reality once more. Instead of having a choice, it's easier to delete one and have her sink into the other. No confusion, no questions. It's simpler."

Tess walked to the other side of Chloe's body.

"Things got too complicated and her mind actually blocked me. She knew something was happening to her, this way she won't have a clue."

Tess looked unsure. She purse her lips into a thin line.

"Fine, how much longer?"

"Two hours from now, Chloe Sullivan won't know a thing."

Tess walked out of the room leaving the Illusionist inside. She reached into her pocket, took out her phone and dialed.

"It's almost done. What do I do next?"

"_Active her tracking signal." _

"But-"

"_Don't question me just do it."_

"As you wish." She hung up and looked back at the door.

"It's a trap." She mumbled to herself then walked down the hall.

**.**

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

Victor ran to the computer with Oliver and AC on his tail.

"What is it?" asked Oliver.

"Chloe's back on the grid." Said Vic as he hijacked the satellite signal to pinpoint her accurate location.

Oliver ran to where his suit was and suited up, followed by AC.

"Impulse we got a location, I need you to recon the place. I'll get boy scout to join you."

"_Got it, on my way."_

For the first time in the past 48 hours Oliver felt like he could breathe again. They had found her.

He walked up next to Victor and AC was right behind him.

"Where is she?"

'She's right outside the outskirts of Metropolis. Impulse is already there. I'm going to get Clark to join you three out there."

"_Impulse here, there's a few rent-a-cops around the place, looks like an easy B&E."_

"Stand by until Arrow and Aquaman join you."

"_Got it dude, just don't lag it. If Chloelicious is in there then I'm not waiting longer to bust her out. Impulse out."_

Oliver sighed deeply, apparently he wasn't the only desperate one.

"I pulled up the warehouse's blueprints and hacked their camera systems. I can see all floors and inside all rooms except one." He motioned to the section on the grid and then tried to pull up video feed from that sector but not one camera was inside the room there was a camera on the hallway, though.

"It could be a trap, so we have to be very careful. Remember the plan."

Oliver nodded and he and AC walked towards the exit. He pulled over his hood and put on his glasses.

"Don't worry man, we got this." said AC.

"Once Clark checks in, let him know." Vic nodded.

As they headed to the lower levels, one of them had anxiety running through his veins, he couldn't wait to get his hands on the idiots that thought it would be ok to kidnap his girl. The other glanced at his team leader's determined face, he sighed and thought, _May God have mercy on those poor bastards._

Both left the building towards their destination, it was time to get Watchtower back.

**.**

While dressing she had decided it was best to just forget about what she had supposedly heard while in the shower, it was probably just her so called hangover talking. Soon, she stepped out into her living room and Sandy was sitting there on her couch.

"I'm ready let's go." Sandy stood up and they both headed to the door. Chloe grabbed her keys and walked out her door following her friend, as she turned to lock it she saw a transparent hooded figure in the corner of her living room. "_You have to remember."_ It whispered to her. She turned to look at Sandy who was next to her and appeared to have not witnessed what she had.

"What?" Sandy asked.

Chloe shook her head then turned back to close her door when the figure was gone.

"Nothing, Let's go." She grabbed her friends arm and pulled her towards the elevator.

They decided to walk to the coffee shop that was around Chloe's place. The two were indulged into a conversation as they walked down the sidewalk.

Once they reached the shop, they ordered and sat down at a table next the windows.

After talking for a while, Sandy stood up to get a refill and as she made her way towards the counter a small smirk made its way to her face. _She doesn't know a thing, perfect. _For a split second her eyes flashed to brown and blue.

Chloe sat and sipped her coffee. She watched as Sandy stood by the counter waiting for her order. She sighed, there was something missing. She felt incomplete and she didn't know why. Not only that but she was feeling strange, like something was happening to her and she had no clue or control over it.

She took another sip of her coffee as she thought of the little incident before leaving her home. She had seen a transparent figure inside her living room but as quickly as it came it left. What had startled her most was the fact that it had spoken to her, almost begging her to remember, _but what? _She glanced outside the window and gasped at what she saw. There it was, the ghostly figure flickered and reached out a hand out to her. Her eyes widened when she heard it speak again, this time it was in her head. _Please remember, you can't forget. You can't trust her._

She was diverted her vision when Sandy returned.

"The guy at the register is cute." Her friend giggled. Chloe looked back out into the street and it was gone.

She cleared her throat and pretended like nothing was wrong. "Yeah, he is."

She gave her friend a small smile and then shot a quick glance through the window, just to make sure it was. _What the hell is that? _She though and decided to push it to the back of her head.

Soon, both were done with their drinks and decided to head out. As they walked on the sidewalk Chloe couldn't help but look around trying to see if she would catch a glimpse of the figure again. Nothing.

"Are you ok, Chloe?"

'Yeah, I'm still suffering from last night." They both shared a laughed, but for some reason saying that didn't feel right to her. It felt like she was lying.

_What is going on?_

They continued to walk around the city for a while. Sandy decided it was good opportunity to go shopping and so they did. It was the same place that they had gotten her blue dress.

She was roaming around the dress shop while Sandy was inside a dressing room trying on some dresses, just for fun. She stopped when she found a silver gown, she squinted and stared at it. _It looks familiar._ Soon a flashback came to her. It had been of Sandy handing it to her. That quickly faded and she remember she had worn a blue dress or so it seemed that way since she had been wearing it in the morning. When the blue dress came to mind so did a new flashback. It was of her hanging up the dress as an attractive blonde walked into her bedroom which really looked nothing like hers. Then she heard, - _"You're remembering."_ - whispered to her.

She looked around her trying to see who it was that had said that then she realized that everyone appeared to be busy doing their own thing. Then something outside the store caught her attention, she stared and realized that it was the ghostly apparition again.

It was just standing there, staring at her or well she thought it was, she couldn't really tell since it was cloaked. She didn't really think about it as she put the dress back on the rack and headed for the door. Once outside she looked both ways before running across the street to where it was. As she reached it, it disappeared. She looked around her and she spotted it again at the corner of the street and so she ran again to it.

Unknown to Chloe, Sandy had seen her walk out the store and ran out right after, she didn't know what the blonde was following but whatever it was, was definitely bad news. She followed Chloe as stealthy as she could.

Again the figure disappeared when she reached the corner, she soon caught movement from her peripheral vision and saw the figure in front of an alleyway staring at her, then it turned and walked deeper into the alley.

Chloe followed it, she saw the figure in the middle of the alley, just standing there as if it was waiting for her.

She approached it cautiously.

"You were in my home? Who or what are you?"

Chloe closely observed it. Whoever it was, was her height. She noticed how it came off as transparent and it flickered, you could see right through it as if were a ghost.

Slowly two small hands reached out of the cloak and were raised up to pull the hood down. When her eyes laid on the person in front of her, she gasped.

The cloaked figure was her.

* * *

_**A/N:**_ I know I fail at updating, sorry! *dodges stuff thrown* Thank you for bearing with me and reading and reviewing! Much Love!

Xx


	11. Chapter 10

___**Disclaimer: **_**I don't own anything. Not the characters. Not the plot. zilch. zip. nada. They all belong to their respective owners. (Not me)**

* * *

**Chapter Ten**

_The cloaked figure was her._

She stared at the apparition in front of her in shock and something inside her made her feel as if she's had an experience like this before. She must be going crazy because there was no way in hell that this was possible. She should be running for her life, there was a ghost in front of her, a freaking' ghost that resembled her was standing in front of her. Stuff like this earned you a one-way ticket to loony bin and yet here she was standing her ground unafraid, just confused _very _confused.

She opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. Her ghostly imaged stared at her and Chloe didn't miss her upset face. She was worried and slightly afraid. A few more seconds passed and as soon as it opened its mouth to speak it started to flicker. The image gave Chloe a worried look before disappearing completely.

She heard a faint whisper in its wake. _"Don't-"_

_Did that just happen?_ Chloe was still trying to process whatever it was that had occurred a few moments ago. She was so consumed in her thoughts that she failed to hear the clicking of heals on the pavement.

She was startled when she felt a hand touch her shoulder. She spun around and came face to face with Sandy. She sighed in relief and brought her hand up to cover her heart. "Oh, God. You scared me." Chloe laughed nervously.

Sandy narrowed her eyes at her. "What are you doing here?"

Chloe's eyes widen slightly. "I- I thought I saw someone familiar and um followed them, I took a wrong turn and ended up here." She swallowed and gave the brunette, who had raised her eyebrow at her response, the most reassuring smile she could muster.

Sandy sighed deeply and cast her eyes downward. She shook her head and raised her eyes back at Chloe.

"You're becoming too much of a hassle you know that?"

Chloe gasped when she heard a deep voice come from Sandy. Before she got a chance to say anything everything around her started to shift, figures were blurring and Sandy wasn't Sandy anymore. She was dizzy, her head was pounding, soon her knees gave out and she was falling. There were dark spots clouding her vision and the last thing she remembered seeing before everything going pitch black were a pair of blue and brown eyes staring back at her.

**.**

Tess Mercer was sitting on a chair in front of the computer at her desk. She was looking at some video footage of the room where Chloe was currently in. She saw the woman flinch and jerk around in the bed until she finally settled down. The illusionist was sitting on a chair next to Chloe's side.

She sighed and she reached out for the phone to press the number she knew by heart. She couldn't go through with this anymore, she was already running from someone, she really didn't want to add someone else to the chase.

"_This is Oliver Queen. I'm not able to answer the phone, so please leave your name and number; someone will contact you as soon as possible. Thank you."_

She hung up then picked up the phone again and dialed.

"_Dr. Richards here."_

"It's Mercer, I need an update from this morning."

"_Her brainwaves have spiked to abnormal levels. It seems that her brain is trying to fight off whatever is happening to her, there are times when the spikes are all over the charts and it's unstable. Then there are those when they seem normal as if nothing was happening to her."_

Tess could sense that there was something else the doctor was holding off on, unsure if he should tell her or not.

"What aren't you telling me?" She heard the doctor sigh on the other end of the phone.

"_I might be stepping my boundaries here but I need to give you my professional and honest opinion. Whatever he's doing to her isn't safe; the brain is a very sensitive and complex organ. It's the center of the nervous system and one wrong choice; one small mistake can cause serious brain damage. It is extremely dangerous what he's doing and if her brain goes on overload it can fry her neurons which are necessary to carry information throughout her body. Without those her body will shut down completely or worse she could end up brain dead instead. Honestly, I don't want that young woman's life in my hands. I've returned the check to you and I suggest you find another doctor to help you. Goodbye Ms. Mercer."_

All she heard was the dial tone and she cursed. She set down the phone harshly and closed her computer. She stood up, grabbed her coat and headed out the door.

She had to fix this, even if it meant biting the hand that feeds, metaphorically speaking of course.

Once inside her car she called Oliver again only to get his voicemail. She sighed. _Why did things always have to be done the hard way_? She threw her phone to the back seat and stepped on the accelerator and prayed that she had enough time to get it all done under the radar and flee before _he_ found out.

**.**

"_Boy Scout online, calmness on the forefront, I'm checking out."_

"Negative, Boy Scout. Arrow, Aquaman and Impulse need you. Watchtower's tracker came back online, check your PDA I've sent you the coordinates."

"_Got it, I'm on my way over there now."_

Victor heard the rushing of air over the comm. link. A few second later he heard the Green Arrow's distorted voice.

"_Team's all here and everyone is in position. Boy Scout is up to date with the plan as well. Any change Cyborg?"_

"The outside guards will be doing their shift changes in about 5 minutes. That means that in about four minutes the guards will up and leave, giving us a window of one minute. I have programmed the security systems to go off for that split minute giving Impulse and Boy Scout enough time to get to main computers and set off the cameras and begin the loop video feed. Don't worry Boy Scout, no lead walls of any sorts, it's safe."

"_Good."_

"_Wicked awesome."_

"I have also set the sprinklers to go off to give Aquaman and extra boost."

"_Sweet." _

"Ok, the change is coming up, once inside Arrow head two floors up and turn left it's the 5th door on your right."

"_Got it. Alright boys, it's time to get Watchtower back."_

"4… 3… 2… Impulse, Boy Scout." Victor heard a whooshing sound.

"_Way ahead of you Tin Man. Stretch, dude you slowing down on me?"_

"_Impulse sto-"_

"_That's Mr. Fastest-man-alive to you, Slowpoke."_

"_I'm sorry to interrupt you two, since it's not like we are on a rescue mission here or anything but when you're done, would you mind, oh I don't know switch the video loop!"_

"_Don't get your Speedos in a twist, Bumble Bee Tuna."_

"_Enough! Boy Scout, the video footage."_

"_Already playing."_

"_Cyborg?"_

Victor was staring at the screen and pulling up more video feed of the building surroundings.

"Clear, the heat signals inside indicated that they are still in the upper levels. The window is now open."

"_Gotcha." _

_The Green Arrow and Aquaman moved to the door. They made their way inside._

"Sprinklers going on in 3… 2… Aquaman the first floor is clear. You know what to do."

"_Got it."A.C ran down the left side of the hallway. _

"Boy scout, you and Impulse take the underground levels."

"_On it."_

"_Affirmative." _

"Arrow, go down the right you will find the stairs that lead to the second floor." Oliver ran opposite from A.C once he reached them, he ran up to the second floor.

"Second level clear."

"_Are you sure?"_

"Yeah." Victor kept staring at the video feed before he got static signals on the screen.

"Shit!" He was typing furiously suddenly the screen went black and red letters came on.

**You can't save her.**

* * *

A/n: I know I apologize all the time for taking too long, but I am sorry! I hope people are still interested in this story. I will continue to the end no matter what, for those of you who still read it thank you and for those readers I've lost I'm sorry. I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. Thank you for reading and reviewing!


	12. Chapter 11

**____****Disclaimer: ****I don't own anything. They all belong to their respective owners.**

* * *

**Chapter Eleven**

_**You can't save her.**_

Victor paled. He tried to active the firewall by overriding the codes but nothing. He tried to connect with Oliver and the other guys to warn them but all he got was silence. He thought about plugging himself into the mainframe and trace back the signal to its origin point, but what if it had a virus? No he couldn't risk getting infected, what he needed to do right know was to get the comm. links back online and make sure the team wasn't a group of sitting ducks out there.

He connected a flash drive that would shut off and restart the systems so that he could gain back control but before he punched in the new codes another message appeared on screen.

**Sorry, but your mission ends here.**

Suddenly his body felt heavy and his vision clouded. By the time his body hit the ground he was already unconscious as black mist started encompassing his body.

When the mist cleared Victor wasn't there, Watchtower was empty.

**.**

"Cyborg? Aquaman? Impulse? Boy Scout?" Silence.

He cursed a stream of profanities as the lights went out and the emergency ones flickered on and off. He ran back down to the first level and felt two different gusts of wind, a second later Boy Scout, Impulse and Aquaman were standing in front of him.

A.C doubled over and said. "Let's never do that again."

Bart just grinned.

"What happened? I can't get Cyborg over the comm. and I did a run around the perimeter and all the rooms are empty. No one is here, not even the guards," said Clark.

At this they all shared serious glances and realized something was definitely wrong.

Oliver furrowed his eyebrows and looked at Bart and AC. "Has any of you been able to get into contact with Cyborg?"

He received a chorus of no's.

"We need to leave, now." said AC., who had already regained his composure.

Oliver nodded his agreement and said, "This way." He took the lead and started jogging towards the staircase when he stopped abruptly causing the others to do so too. He looked at where the staircase was supposed to be and reached out to touch the solid wall that was in its place.

"What the…" he started.

"…hell." finished Impulse.

"Dude, aren't stairs supposed to be there?" asked AC.

"Yeah," said Clark.

"Here let me." Oliver moved to the side so that Clark could use his x-ray vision. Clark squinted and concentrated his vision on the wall. All of a sudden his eyes widened in surprise and he said, "I can't see through it."

"Lead?" asked Oliver.

"That's the only explanation."

"Uh- guys? Something tells me we are in bigger problems that we thought."

"Impulse, this isn't…" Oliver trailed off as he finally noticed what his young friend was trying to get across. Their surroundings had shifted, how the hell he or the others missed it, he had no freakin' clue. They were in some location standing under a light with no idea as to where exactly they were since they couldn't see anything beyond what the light illuminated.

"Okay this is creepy. What the hell is going on?" asked AC.

Oliver shook his head, "Boy Scout, Impulse." He soon felt a breeze followed closely by another.

Clark and Bart super-sped the area trying to find an exit and they came up empty, no exits.

"Dude I don't know what the hell this place is because I couldn't see anything. Seriously it's like empty darkness, extremely creepy man." stated Bart announcing his return.

"There's nothing." said Clark a few seconds later.

Oliver didn't hide his frown this time. '_What the fuck is going on?' _he thought to himself.

The team just shared nervous glances at each other not willing to voice their worry out loud while their leader was thinking things through. They usually didn't worry about getting into sticky situations, not to be egotistical or anything but they always managed to get away with whatever it was that they were doing and it was because they had complete faith in the person who kept an eye out and had their backs, whether it is Chloe or Victor in this case.

Everything was fine in the beginning, they had formulated a plan and a back-up just in case things went south, but with Victor and Watchtower out of the picture the back-up was pointless and they were screwed.

They were all lost in their thoughts trying to figure out an escape plan when all of a sudden there was a shift in the atmosphere that caused them to tense, something was wrong. The environment around them felt cold and uneasy, almost deadly.

"That's it! I'm going to do another run." Clark sped off before anyone could protest against his actions. Time seemed to pass slowly as they awaited the arrival of their alien friend.

"This isn't good."

"You think?"

"Hey man, no need to be an ass about it. I'm just saying!"

"Guys shut up this isn't the time or place for your bickering…" before Oliver got the chance to continue Clark showed up. He opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by a disoriented voice coming from the darkness that surrounded them.

"_Your powers are pointless here, don't bother using them you won't be leaving this place, alive."_

They all stared into the darkness hoping to see a looming figure in it as the voice spoke to them but it was a waste of time, they weren't going to be able to penetrate it with their eyes. A chill ran down their spines as the last word was said.

Oliver was pissed, adrenaline was running through his veins and all he wanted was to pummel whoever it was that was speaking, "Show yourself!" he shouted.

Silence.

"Cowards hide in the dark!"

He snickered before continuing, "Are you that ugly that you can't even show your face?"

Booming laughter surrounded them.

"_Well aren't you the comedian. Why don't you turn off your distorted? Afraid your girly-voice won't intimidate me?"_

Oliver glared into the darkness and then turn it towards Bart who snorted and coughed trying to cover up his laughter.

"_Enough with the sweet talk, it's time for you guys to take a nap. Sweet dreams."_

Before any of them had time to demand what the hell the voice was talking about they started to feel heavy and their visions started to blur. A.C hit the ground first, followed by Bart, Clark and lastly Oliver, who -before getting his vision clouded by dark specs- heard, "_The stakes have been raised."_

The darkness around them started to shift closer and it enveloped all four. Once it cleared their bodies were gone, leaving the warehouse empty.

**.**

Tess managed to get her phone from the backseat and redialed Oliver's number. She was so engrossed with getting into contact with Oliver that she noticed a body lying on the middle of the road a little too late. She dropped the phone and gripped the wheel with both hands as she managed to swerve her car to the side and into a ditch.

She was breathing hard and when she composed herself she undid her seatbelt and got out of the car. She walked up into the road and towards the body. Once she reached it she kneeled before it and felt for a pulse. Suddenly the body jolted up grabbed her wrist and said, "You shouldn't meddle with things that don't concern you."

The last thing she remembers is staring into a pair of unusual eyes before her world going black.

**.**

Chloe's unconscious body lay on a bed as a figure sitting on a chair in the dark corner watched over her with a malicious smile on their face.

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a/n: I have not forgotten about this story! Sorry for the extremely late update. Since it has been a while between this chapter and the last I have added new stuff but the plot is still the same and the previous chapters have not changed. This just means new plot devices have been added to the story. So if you have any questions _please_ ask! I'd like to answer the majority if not all in the upcoming chapters. thanks for reading! :)


	13. Chapter 12

******____****Disclaimer: ****I don't own anything. They all belong to their respective owners.**

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**Chapter Twelve**

If looks could kill she'd already be dead by the way he was staring at her. Never had he hated anyone more than her. Chloe Sullivan was to be blamed for the times he felt alone with no one to confide in, to help him out when he started to be different. The only person that could've helped him was gone, and it was her fault. He suffered and he was going to pay her back, he would take his sweet time with her. Slowly he was going to drive her insane, making her worst fears come to pass.

His gaze shifted to the other dark corner of the room.

"Always lurking in the shadows, aren't you?" he spoke out loud and right after a cloud of smoke started shifting and gaining tangibility. A man stepped out of the shadows and glanced at him before his gaze settled on the unconscious blonde.

"You do realize they will figure out she's missing from the facility?" asked the young man.

"Actually they already know, and did you know they don't take betrayal very kindly?" said the man sitting on the chair all while smirking.

The other young man stared at him with narrowed eyes until realization dawned and his eyes widened.

He scoffed before saying, "Of course, you framed Tess Mercer."

The curly-shaggy haired brunette just shrugged as his smirk widened a bit before it turned into a frown and he grew completely serious. "She's partly to blame, if it weren't for her then my brother would still be here, though Chloe over here takes the rest of the cake for that." Ian, the man who had been sitting in the dark, stood up and walked closer to the other young man.

"Randy, I would think that you would want payback. After all wasn't it her and her friends' fault that you ended up in prison. Also, wasn't it Mercer who wanted to use you for her own selfish reasons by offering you a place in her so called 'team'. Look at it this way, two birds with one stone." He turned and walked back towards the bed and sat on the edge.

Randy frowned at Chloe's body then turned to look at Ian. "What did you do to them?"

"I just altered some memories, faked others, created illusions," he shrugged, "made Tess believe that Checkmate was after her and that she was working with an Illusionist named Eisenheim to drive Chloe insane."

"Why?"

"If my plan was going to work then I needed to make her believe it really was her plan. That she was the one after Chloe all this time, so when Blondie over here went missing and the suits found out she'd feel guilty."

"You have her wrong. Tess doesn't care. She's only in it to insure her life."

Ian snapped his fingers and pointed at Randy. "That's where you are wrong. I've been inside her head. She cares, more than she would like to actually. Even if she has lost all hope there's a part of her that cares."

Randy walked to the other side of the room and sat on the chair the other man has been sitting on previously.

"I still don't understand. How were you able to manipulate everything she saw?"

"That's what I do. I can alter reality, enter your mind and manipulate it, I can make you see or believe anything just by touching you. I can read your thoughts, see your inner most desirable dreams and shift them. Your sanity is mine once I lay a finger on you and there's nothing that can stop me from taking it."

"You really are twisted."

Ian glanced over his shoulder and stared at Randy.

"You have no idea, my parents sent my brother to an Asylum thinking he was a threat, when the real danger was me."

He returned his vision to Chloe's body.

"They suffered for that. He was the only who understood me, the one that would help me and they sent him away. If they knew about me they would've done the same. I couldn't let that happen."

"So you took that memory from him, so that they wouldn't send you away too. Why didn't you take away the fact that they knew about your brother?"

"I wasn't there when he told them about it, I was away at school. Then when I got back I tried to find him but he was gone. Someone had him transferred to an unknown location. I didn't hear anything from him, until a few years back when I learned about his death."

Ryan studied Ian for a while before saying.

"What are you going to do with everything you have learned from Chloe's mind?"

Ian was quiet while he leaned forward and brushed away a few strands of blonde hair from Chloe's face and as soon as his fingers came into contact with her skin, she furrowed her eyebrows.

"Use it against her, Chloe is mine to ruin. I will pay her with the same token."

Ryan stood up from the seat and walked closer to the bed, standing on the other side of where Ian was sitting on.

"What are you going to do about her team? We can't hide them forever and the sedatives won't last long, especially not on Clark or the other fast kid."

"Don't worry about them," he glanced up to look at his companion for a second before looking down at Chloe, "the mind is a terrible thing because it can make you see things that aren't really there. Fear is such a catalyst in a person's life, sometimes you have to face it in order to be able to overcome it. Other times fear is what destroys you. Their fears will be their downfall."

"What about Stuart? He's going to ask questions when Tess doesn't give him what he wants."

"You need to stop worrying, I have everything under control. Stuart Campbell is currently occupied with getting even with Tess. After all she did shoot him."

Ryan looked at him with worried eyes and his voice faltered when he asked, "He's not going to-?"

Ian grinned, "No, she's just being kept prisoner. At least for now she is."

Ryan still managed to look worried, "What about her?" he nodded towards Chloe's direction. "Are you going to kill her?"

Ian's head snapped to the side and sent him a deadly glare. "What I do to her is none of your concern."

"I was just-"

"Don't." hissed Ian.

Ryan swallowed hard and made way towards the door. He could feel Ian's gaze on him as he walked. When he reached for the door knob and turned it to open the door Ian called out to him.

"I trust that you won't say anything. I suggest you don't, not if you want to keep your sanity, that is."

He looked over his shoulder and said, "Don't worry. I won't say a thing." then he turned and stepped out of the room.

Ian turned back to Chloe, he shifted closer and placed both his hand on each side of her head. Once his hands touched her she flinched.

He smirked down at her.

"This is going to be fun."

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a/n: I Hope this chapter answers some of your questions. Randy has actually been on the show and I'm sure you all know who Stuart is. Ian hasn't though, his demented self is all mine but his brother isn't. Sorry if Randy seems OOC and to be honest I never watched the episode he was in, but his character served to be helpful in this fic. Anyone else freaked a little at how calmly they talk about things? No? ok. Lol Much Love and thanks for reading and reviewing! Xx


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